The World Bank has undertaken a project of feasibility studies for a proposed electric grid between central Asia and Pakistan, local newspaper Daily Times reported on Wednesday.

The bank's job is not just to prepare a feasibility, but it will also play the role of lead manager in arranging finances for the project, Daily Times quoted sources as saying.

The preliminary desktop estimates suggested that the cost of electricity would be five U.S. cents per kwh and seven cents if fees for security and transit were taken into account, according to the reports.

The project was first mooted when the United States Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman visited Pakistan a few months ago and suggested that instead of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, Islamabad should consider alternative energy sources.

At that time there was no response from Pakistan but most observers believed that Bodman would not have made such a statement without doing his homework.

The United States opposed the IPI gas pipeline project in view of nuclear problems of Iran.

Pakistan has been looking for energy resources to cope with future energy requirements.

Source: Xinhua